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Challenge yourself to a healthier lifestyle with personal commitment and the support of family, friends, co-workers or community challenges.

Warmer weather and longer days bring people outdoors more often
and provides more opportunities for physical activity. Healthy food choices are
plentiful in the summer months with all the fresh fruit and vegetables that are
available in the grocery store, local farmer’s markets, pick-your-own farms or
personal gardens. Start now to formulate healthier habits into your life and
practice the three months of summer until they become a “healthy habit” by the
time cooler weather comes around.

Research indicates that it takes six to eight weeks to formulate
new habits or make a transformation, so why not choose a healthy habit to try
while the weather is conducive? Maybe you want to incorporate or increase your
daily physical activity or exercise, or want to include more fruits, vegetables
or whole grains into your diet; maybe you want to drink more water. Choose at
least one to three nutrition or physical activity goals to work on during the
three months of summer.

Some communities are having challenges to help motivate physical
activity and healthier living in conjunction with community development grants.
One such challenge is entitled “Let’s Get Moving Community Challenge” sponsored
by BlueCross BlueShield of
Michigan. Challenges such as these can help one stay focused and
enthusiastic about choosing a healthier lifestyle by gaining points for their
community based on the number of healthy foods eaten or physical activity that
was done in a certain day or week. The community that earned the most points
receives the community grant. Some community grants help fund sidewalk repair
and road crossing signs to develop safer routes to schools. Others fund walking
and bicycle paths or trail systems to name a few.

The key to getting started is setting a goal, writing it down and
placing it someplace where you can read it often – try the bathroom mirror or
dashboard of your car. Instead of writing the goal like a to-do list write it
as if you are already doing it. An example would be if your goal is to walk an
hour daily, write “ I enjoy walking an hour every day” or “Walking is my
therapy!”

The key is finding what will motivate you to make a healthier
lifestyle transformation. Spend the summer working on this and seek support from
family, friends, co-workers or a community challenge.

May 25, 2017 | Beth Stuever | An MSU Extension partnership is serving as a model of how the Cooperative Extension System can collaborate with medical schools and faculty to increase health research and strengthen primary care delivery to patients.